Steering arm joint assembly unit



9m my 1950 W. A; FLUMER'FELT 2,495,959

STEERING ARM JOINT ASSEMBLY UNIT Filed May 1l, 1946 Patented Jan. 31, 1950 2,495,5)59` STEERING enMiorNr ASSEMBLY UNIT William A. 1Elumexfelt, Columbus,` Ohio, assigner to The Columbus Auto iarts Company, Columbus, Unio, a corporation of Ghio Application May 11, 1.94.6, Serial No. 669,171 2 claims. (Cl. 2er- 90) This invention relates to tie rod joints and has for an object to provide an eicient automatic compensation means for looseness in a small space adapted to be readily assembled in the motor vehicle.

A further object is to provide a cartridge type of casing applied to the steering arm of an automobile and within Vsaid casing the universal joint and take up means are located, eliminating the usual arrangement of separate joint for the stud of the stud and ball member. In my present con-` struction the other end of the ball stud is turned at right angles and connected to the tie rod. Moreover, in this construction, I utilize a very satisfactory construction whereby a minimum `of parts is used and a reduction in cost attained, at the: same time producing a simplied joint arranged for automatic take up upon compensation for wear of the parts in use; a joint in Which unitary ball seats and take up means are provided, the same being constructed and arranged in such a manner as to afford an excellent method of manufacture; a construction in which the assembly' provides a unique and simplied method of operation facilitating both the action in use and the automatic Wear compensation as indicated: novel spring urging means and the assembly thereof in the joint; and a simplification of the various cooperating parts Aand elements of the j oint construction, which are easily made arid easily assembled, providing an over all joint construction which is very eiiicient both in its method of manufacture and in its construction and operation.

Further objects and advantages are' within the scope otmy invention` such as relate to the arrangement, operation, and function of the related elements of the structure, to Various details of construction and to combinations of parts, elen ments per se, and to economies of manufacture and numerous other features as will be apparent from a consideration of the specification and drawing of a form of the invention, which may be preferred, in which:

,Figure I isan elevation or" the assembled joint with certain operating parts shown in section;

Figure II is a top plan View showing the connection With the steering knuckle of the automobile and Figure III is an isometric view of the cartridge Inl the universal joint herein disclosed, the car- 55' 2 tridge 0r stamping ID has a straight cylindrical inner bore Il therein and has an internal retaining flange l2 at one end having an opening therethrough for the reception of the take up mechanism and the ball of the ball stud.. The inner cylindrical surface Il of the shell or cartridge I9 may be easily but very accurately made in my arrangement as is necessary since it receives the main Working parts of the joint, Whereas fitting the cell i9 into the bore of the boss 8 of the steeering knuckle arm 5 merely requires a stationary connecting lit. Integral washer retaining means !5 is formed at the other end of shell IQ for the spring retainer or Washer i3 and by offsetting this end of the stamping lli, I also provide a ledge i6 so that the shell lil rests upon the upper side of the boss 8 and can not slipdown through the opening Ei in the boss.

In Figure I, I have illustrated a ball and curved ball stud member i8, the stud being threaded at I9 to be held in place by suitable clamps i9' to a tie rod il of the steering mechanism of the vehicle. The ball stud carries at its other end, in the form illustrated in Figure I, a ball El).

The construction of the unitary combined ball seat and take up members 25 and 26 together with the'assembly thereof, is here constructed by making the parts from a ring 3G as illustrated in my copending case, Joint construction and method of making the same, tiled July 31, 1944, Serial No. 547,453. This ring is either screw machined or cold coin pressed to form the shape having a cylindrical bore extending from the top down to less than half the distance of the length of the ring While the lower part is arranged to provide spherically shaped ball seating surfaces 32 spaced from the end of the ring as shown. This ring is then cut in two longitudinally7 thereby forming in halves the two unitary ball seats and take up members 25 and 2li assembled as shown with transposed ends, one in relation to the other as this illustrates the manner in which they are assembled in the joint. It will be noted that the ring has a cylindrically shaped outer surface,

` corresponding to the size of and adapted to t the cylindrical bore Il of the shell lil.

The simplified manner in which these unique, combined ball seats and adjusting or take up members Z5 and 25 are located and assembled in the shell i9 includes the use of spring means to constantly urge each of the operating parts of the joint into close contacting ht throughout their use. 'Ifo this end, I use different types of springs as means for producing this result, such as a correctly formed Wire spring but have found satisfactory a leaf type spring 34 which has the main spring portion 35 and the accurately formed and shaped true design ears 36 and 31, these two ears adapted, when the joint is assembled as shown in Figure I, to contact the upper edge 32 or front face of the rim of the ball seat 25, this arrangement preventing the spring from rotating out of correct position in use.

In assembling the joint as shown in Figure I, it will be noted that the reversely arranged halves of the ring 3o, constituting the ball seat take up units 25 and 26, are positioned so that the bottom edge of seat 2t contacts the overhanging flange I2 of the shell It at 2li', as indicated, while space 25 is provided between the bottom end of the other ball seat member 25 and said flange I2. The spring Sil held in place by the-spring retaining washer I3, bears against the upper end of each of said ball seats as shown and constantly urges' the seat 25 downwardly (in the particular posil tion illustrated in Figure I) while at the same time ball 2t is forced by spring 34 into contact with' the thick end or bearing portion of the other seat 2t which is also held in contact at 28' with thehousing flange I2 by thesame spring 34. The retaining washer I3 upon `which spring 34 seats, is securely held in position by the turned over ange l5 onv the housing l0 and the arrangement rmly holds and maintains in close contact al1 parts of the joint position.

By thsunique construction and assembly it will be seen that I use the steering arm 5 ofthe automobile to-directly carry the ball and universal joint rather than for receiving the stud vof the joint construction; that the steering arm 5 with enlarged head 8 is merely provided with a straight cylindrical bore 5 therethrough requiring no special finish and through which the cartridge I@ is slipped and secured in place. A very in its assembled and operating compact assembly is 'thereby provided especially where a very limited space is allowed on the motor vehicle and a specially nished stud bearing connection with the automobile steering boss or heads is entirely avoided. In addition instead of requiring a special ball housing with a suitable extension connected thereto for uniting it with the tie rod, I here form a direct connection for the turned end I8 of the ball stud itself, with the tie rod" Il connecting the same thereto by screw threaded adjustment I9 and clamping nieans'orr Moreover, by form-f lock I9 referred to supra. ing the ledge I6 at its upper end, the shell lo rests upon the top surface of the boss 8 of the steering` knuckle 5 and by providing the inturned flange l2 at the bottom end of the shell it will be seenthat I have provided an important safety feature:`

in that should anything happen to the ball seats, or various parts, et cetera, the ball 20 is neverthelessretained in the unit by ange I2 and could not slip or fall entirely out of the joint which in such a case would completely disconnect the' steering mechanism and lead to the possibility of accident. By my construction this possibility is avoided.

The operation of the unitary take up and'ball tacts flange I2 at the line 26' it can not move upwardly but is resiliently held in contact with said flange by the spring 34 which forms a fulcrumv for'the action Aof the spring which at the same time, bearing against the retaining plate I3 presses against the upper end of the ball seat unit 25, constantly urging the latter downwardly in the particular arrangement here shown. Upon Wear occurring, in View of the fact that the seat 26 is stationary, this seat 25 progresses into the space 25 at a rate twice that of the occurring wear, (assuming equal wear on both seats) as this movement compensates for the wear on both seats.

In the assembly as shown, the cylindrical formation of the cartridge I I restrains the ball seats from outward movement when the spring 34 forces the thickened portion of ball seat 25 into the constricted annular space surrounding the ball at its horizontal equator and coincidentally forces the ball into contact with the thickened portion of the seat 26. In other words, in my construction one combined ball seat and take up unit 26 remains stationary while the other ball seat member 25' backed by the nonconvergingl cy'- lindiicalsuriaceltravels alone axially toward the dition to being simple and cheap to manufactura'` has two true design ears 3G and 3? which contact at their'ends as shown in Fig-ure II with the extending portion 32' of the ball seat 25 which prevents the spring from rotating out of correct position thereby facilitating and maintaining the correct operation in use of the take up betweenv the ball and seats. v

It s apparent that, within the scope of the invention, modications and different arrangements-may be made other than is herein disv closed, and the present disclosure is illustrative l. A steering wheel arm xed to a vehicle wheel,

said'arm having anenlarged boss with a vertically extending transverse opening in said boss; a tie rod universal joint assembly `carried di-` rectly by said wheel steering arm, said assembly( including a cylindrical shell iitting within said transverse opening in said arm, said shell having anexternal ange adjacent the upper end havlng a portion fitting against the outside upper-Y surface of said boss surrounding said openingV to prevent said joint from slipping downwardly through said boss; said shell having an inturned portion on the lower end thereof to provide aV horizontal seat receiving ange; ball seat and take up members within said shell; a ball within said seats; said ball havin-g a downwardly depending-integral curved shank, saidshank tery minating in a longitudinal portion provided with screw threads for attachment to said tie rod,

said ledge onsaid shell providing an openingV larger than said shank but smaller than the ball, said seat members including a pair of oppositely arranged ball contacting seat portions, spring means within said shell at the opposite end from said. ledge arranged to urge said ball and seat members continually into contact to take up for wear with a seat end in contact with said ledge and a plate for retaining said spring member in said shell.

2. A steering Wheel arm fixed to a vehiclewheel, sald'arm having an enlarged boss with a vertically extending transverse cylindrical opening in said boss; `a tie roduniversal joint assembly carried A H directly by said wheel steering arm, said assembly 5 including a cylindrical shell fitting Within said transverse opening in said arm, said shell having an external flange adjacent the upper end having a portion ttin-g against the outside upper surface of said boss surrounding said opening to prevent said joint from slipping downwardly through said boss; said shell having an inturned portion on the lower end thereof to provide a horizontal seat receiving flange; ball seat take up members within said shell; a ball within said seats; said ball having a downwardly depending integral curved shank, said shank terminating in a longitudinal portion provided with screw threads for attachment to said tie rod, said ledge on said shell providing an opening larger than said shank but smaller than the ball, said seat members including a pair of oppositely arranged ball contacting seat portions, the seat portions of one of said members being located on one side of the equator of said ball and the seat contacting portion of the other member beinglocated on the opposite side of the equator of said ball; spring means within said shell at the opposite end from said ledge arranged to urge said ball and seat members continually into Contact to take up for Wear with a seat end in Contact with said ledge andfulcrurned thereby; and a plate for retaining said spring member in said shell.

WILLIAM A. FLUMERFELT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the nie of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,798,843 Huferd Mar. 31, 1931 1,806,286 Flumerfelt May 19, 1931 1,828,891 Crawford Oct. 27, 1931 1,891,804 Flumerfelt Dec. 20, 1932 1,894,309 Flumerfelt Jan. 17, 1933 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 350,186 Great Britain June 11, 1931 770,914 France Sept. 24, 1934 

